[janis]

I recently replaced my countertop with granite.  I love how easy it is to clean and the look of it but I find it cools down food really quickly on a plate.  We have a bar counter we eat on and our food becomes cold before we are half done.  Does anyone know of a way to keep the cold stone from cooling our plates?

 

[nicko]

Place mats would be my first thought.

 

[janis]

My first thought too but it has very little effect.  I need something insulated or that would reflect the cold back down into the stone.

 

[phatch]

Bubble wrap under the place mat. They make reflective insulating varieties as well. Look in home depot for it. Incorporate it into the base of some chargers perhaps for a more stylish approach.

Alternatively, you could preheat the spots with bowls of hot water or such.

 

[chefbuba]

Eat faster!

 

[french fries]

Insulating place mats made of wood? Or cork? http://www.fishpond.com/Homeware/Hi..._campaign=US&gclid=CNnP_ZO7utACFVFlfgod3b4FXg

 

[nicko]

@phatch is on to something. What I would do is pre-heat your plates prior to plating and use the place mats. This is an interesting discussion I would of never thought about this problem with granite counter tops. I have never heard anyone comment on it. Maybe the next big trend will heated counter tops.

 

[meezenplaz]

In the theatre banquet room kitchen half of which I built, they had granite tops all thru the dining room. And they wanted matching granite for the 48" passthru. I advised against it, they insisted. No heat lamp.
When doing a dinner, I'd preheat plates, plate and place on the pass. The plate was cold in 2 minutes. A towel underneath didnt help much.

Someone above suggested preheating the granite...
seriously have you ever tried to do that?

Granite is gorgeous and very tough, but beyond that it leaves a lot desired, and its over priced. I dont want it in my personal kitchen, I currently have premium porcelain 18 inch tile. And it doesnt cool plates like that. My other favorite being hardwood butcher block.

As to the cooling problem. I agree, start using insulated chargers under the plates. The only problem being, the plates cant be too hot, or they'll flark up the chargers.